Iron Man (Marvel Comics)




Publication information

Publisher: Marvel Comics
First appearance: Tales of Suspense #39 (March 1963)
Died: The Avengers #395 - The Death of an Avenger (February, 1996)
Created by: Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck, Jack Kirby

In-story information

Alter ego: Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark
Notable aliases: Tony Stark, Anthony Edward Stark; Iron Knight; Hogan Potts; Ironman; Ironheart; Iron Man I; Spare Parts; Howard; Iron Cross; Iron Giant; Iron Maniac, The Golden Avenger, The Armored Avenger, Tetsujin, Spare Parts Man, Cobalt Man (Ralph Roberts), Crimson Dynamo, Director Stark, Shellhead, Iron Gentleman, Metal Man, Man of Iron, Tone, Tin Man

Relatives: Isaac Stark, Sr., Isaac Stark, Jr.  (ancestors, deceased); Howard Stark, Sr. (paternal grandfather, deceased); Howard Stark (Father, deceased), Maria Collins Carbonell Stark (Mother, deceased), Edward Stark (uncle, deceased); Morgan Stark (cousin);

Affiliations: 3-D Man (Garrett, Jr.), Aarkus, Abe Klein, Abe Zimmer, Ahh, Amelia Serrano, Amergin, 
Android X-4, Andromeda, Anitun, Annie, Anthem, Aralune, Archangel, Ares, Arkon, Aunt May, Azari, Bambi Arbogast, Baxu, Beast, Bethany Cabe, Black Bolt, Black Cat, Black Goliath, Black Panther, Black Widow, Bloodhawk, Blue Marvel, Bright Star, Cable, Calamity, Candy Southern, Captain America, Captain America-X, Captain Marvel, Carla Strange, Century, Charleton Carter, Curtis Carr, Cheryl Porter, Chucky Diamond, Cimbuka, Cindy Knutz, Cleopatra, Clytemnestra Erwin, Crimson Dynamo (Vanko), Crystal, Cyclops, D'Spayre, Dale West, Deadpool, Death Wreck, Doctor Doom, Doctor Strange, Doctor Svenson, Dominic Fortune, Donald Blake, Doop, Dreamguard, Droom, Echo, Eddie March, Emerson Bale, Emma Frost, Erica Sondheim, Eternity Man, Falcon, Fighter One, Fisher Todd, Force, Gadget, Gargoyle, Geoffrey Ballard, Gilbert Vaughn, Golden Blade, Gravity, Great Mongoose, Gretl, Kevin O'Brian, Kevin O'Brien, Gwen Stacy, Hal Jordan (DC Comics), Hank Pym, Happy Hogan, Hawkeye, Heather Sante, Hellcat, Hercules, Hiram Dobbs, Hokk Algol, HOMER, Hulk, Humbug, Iceman, Inazuma, Invincible (Image Comics), Invisible Woman, Jack Power, Jane Foster, Janice Cord, Jarvis, Jasper Sitwell, Jean Grey, Jeanne of Monte Carlo, Jenna Carlisle, Jerry Hunt, John Allen, Julia Carpenter, Ka-Zar, Kathleen Rennie, Krylla, Lionel Dibbs, Lionheart, Lockdown, Machinesmith, Madame Masque, Mainframe, Marcy Pearson, Margaret Dillon, Maria Hill, Marianne Rodgers, Maya Hansen, Medusa, Melter, Meredith McCall, Michael Pointer, Mighty Mother, Miriam Sharpe, 
Miss Glitter, Misty Knight, Mockingbird, Molly Hayes, Monica Rambeau, Moonraker, Morley Erwin, Mr. Fantastic, Mr. Hyde, Ms. Marvel, Ms. Normandy, Nails, Namor, Nick Fury, Nighthawk, Nightmask, Noh-Varr, Nova, Optimus Prime (Transformers), Overkill, Patriot, Paul Anselm, Paul Ignatius, Pepper Potts, Peter Corbeau, Phil Coulson, PLATO, Powersurge, Professor X, Protocide, Quicksilver, Rae LaCoste, Ragnarok, Ramona Napier, Raptor, Red Feather, Redwing, Rick Jones, Roxie Gilbert, Royal Blue, Rozalyn Backus, Rumiko Fujikawa, Sal Kennedy, Sam Alexander, Sapper, Scarlet Witch, Scorn, Sebastian Shaw, Sentry, Sersi, She-Hulk, Siege, Silver Surfer, Silverclaw, Smasher, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Splitlip, Squirrel Girl, St. George, Steel Guardian, Steve, Storm, Su Yin, Sunset Bain, Sunturion, Supernaut, Swordsman, Talisman, Tamara Rahn, Tarkington Brown, Thing, Thor, Thunderbolt Ross, Tia Senyaka, Tigra, Tim Gunn, Time Traveler, Toby, Two-Gun Kid, Tyger Tiger, U.S.Agent, Ultragirl, Ulysses Bloodstone, Val-Larr, Valkyrie, Vanguard, Veda, Veronica Benning, Veronica Vogue, Vic Martinelli, Viewtiful Joe, Vincent Sandhurst, VIRGIL, Vision, War Machine, Wasp, Werewolf By Night, Whizzer (Frank), William Evans, Jr., Wilma Gray, Wishing Man, Wolverine, Wonder Man, Wraith, X-Man, X-O Manowar, Yinsen, Yvette Avril

Team affiliations:
 Stark Industries, Avengers, West Coast Avengers, Illuminati, S.H.I.E.L.D., Department of Defense, Force Works, Thunderbolts, Stark Resilient, Guardians of the Galaxy, Hellfire Club (outer circle), Initiative Staff, New Avengers, Order, The Galactic Avenger Battalion, The Initiative, The Iron Legion, The Light Brigade, Mighty Avengers, Stark Enterprises, Stark International, Stark Resilient, Stark Solutions, Resilient (President Emeritus), the Pro-Registration Superhero Unit, United States Department of Defense, Alcoholics Anonymous

Enemies: 451, Abe Jenkins, Abe Klein, Abner Little, Absynthe, Abyss, Actor, Adam Manna, Airborne, Akhenaten, Alanna, Aleph, Amanda Chaney, Amazon, Anaconda, Ancestor, Anthro, Anti-Man, Ape-Man, Apocalypse Beast, Aquarius, Aqueduct, Archangel, Ares, Aries, Aries (Raymond), Arkon, Armada, Arms Merchant, Arsenal, Arthur, Assassin, Atlas, Awesome Android, Battlestar, Beast, Benedict, Beyonder, Bi-Beast, Bia, Big One, Big Wheel, Bird-Man, Black Brigade, Black Celestial, Black Goliath, Black Knight (Garrett), Black Lama, Blacklash, Black Mamba, Black Talon, Black Widow, Blackheath, Blackout, Blastaar, Blink, Blizzard, Blood Brothers, Bloodscream, Bloodshed, Bloodwraith, Blue Marvel, Boobytrap, Boomerang, Boris Turgenov, Boulder, Bowman, Bres, Brigade, Brothers Grimm, Brynocki, Buck Richlen, Butte, Butterfly, Cactus, Caiera, Captain America, Captain America-X, Carnage, Carnivore, Cat-Man, 
Cerebrus, Cethlann, Chain, Chameleon, Charlie Gray, Chemistro, Cimbuka, Cletus Kasady, Clytemnestra Erwin, Cobalt Man, Collector, Colonel Abdul al-Rahman, Commander Kraken, Conserve and Protect, Constrictor, Controller, Corruptor, Count Nefaria, Crimson Dynamo (Nevsky), Crimson Dynamo (Vanko), Crusher, Cybertooth, Cyclone, Cyclops, Cyttorak, Dansen Macabre, David Richards, Death Adder, Death's Head, Death's Head 3.0, Defensor, Defiler, Deluge, Demitrius, Demolisher, Desmond Marrs, Detroit Steel, Discus, Doctor Demonicus, Doctor Doom, Doctor Goodwrench, Doctor Octopus, Doctor Spectrum, Doctor Spectrum (Obatu), Doctor Strange, Dominus, Doomsday Man, Doop, Doppelganger, Dorrek VII, Dr. Aldrich Killian, Dr. Maximus Power, Dragon Man, Dragonfly, Dreadknight, Dreadnought, Dreaming Celestial, Drexel Cord, Droom, Dulb, Earth-Mover, Eddie Brock, Edwin Cord, Eel, Elathan, Electro, Electron, Ember, Endotherm, Erik Killmonger, Eternity Man, Ex Nihilo, Examiner, Ezekiel Stane, Fabian Stankowicz, Face Thief, Fafnir, Fangor, Fenris Wolf, Fin Fang Foom, Firebrand, Firebrand (Dennison), Firebrand (Gilbert), Firefight, Firepower, Fixer, Flugron, Flying Dutchman, Flying Tiger, Force, Forever Man, Foundry, Frankenstein, Franz Gruber, Fredd, Freedom Ring, Frenzy, Frog-Man, Frostbite, Gambit, Gargantus, General Pollock, Ghost, Giganto, Giganto, Gila, Gladiator, Glitch, Glitch, Goddess, Godzilla, Grasp, Grand Director, Graviton, Gregory Stark, Gremlin, Grey Gargoyle, Griffin, Grim Reaper, Grogg, Gronk, Growing Man, Michael o'Brien, Kevin O'Brien, Half-Face, Half-Life, Hammer, Hangman, Harbinger of Apocalypse, Harry Key, Hatap, Hate Monger, Hawkeye, Headlok, Helio, Hijacker, Hilda, Hulk, Hurricane, Hurricane, Hyperion, Igor the agent, Immortus, Imus Champion, Inazuma, Indech, Indries Moomji, 
Inferno, Inferno, Infinitus, Innards, Irezumi, Iron Boy, Iron Man 2020, Iron Man 2093, Iron Mask, Iron Monger, Iron-Hand Hauptmann, It The Living Colossus, Jack Frost, Jarr, Jawbreaker, Jean Grey, Jennifer Ransome, Jester, Jonas Hale, Justin Hammer, K.I.A., Kain, Kala, Kalxor, Kaminari, Kashmir Vennema, Kaze, Kearson Dewitt, Klaw, Korvac, Krang, Kuroko, Kwirkegard, Lancelot, Landslide, Leap-Frog, Lectronn, Lich, Living Laser, Living Mummy, Living Totem, Loki, Lord Gouzar, M.O.D.A.M., M.O.D.O.K., Machete, Machinesmith, Madame Hydra, Madame Masque, Madame Slay, Maestro, Magma, Magneto, Magus, Malachi, Mallen, Man-Ape, Man-Beast, Man-Bull, Mandarin, Manipulator, Marilla, Masked Marauder, Master Khan, Master Pandemonium, Mauler, Mech Taco, Megatron (Transformers), Melter, Chris Colchiss, Mentallo, Mercenary, Merlin, Michael Pointer, Mikaboshi, Militant, Minotaur, Mista, Mole Man, Molly Hayes, Monolith, Monster Master, Mordecai Midas, Mordius, Morgan Le Fay, Moses Magnum, Mr. Doll, Mr. Hyde, Mr. Kline, Mystique, Namor, Namora, Namorita, Nebula, Nebulon, Needle, Neut, Neutron Bum, Ngh the Unspeakable, Niles Van Roekel, Nitro, No-Name, Norman Osborn, Nova, Nuke, Nuklo, Number Two, Obadiah Stane, Ogor, Old Woman, Onslaught, Orka, Paragon, Parnell Jacobs, Payback, Pele, Phage, Phillip Barnette, Phoebe Marrs, Pipeline, Plasma, Porcupine, Post, Power Man Steele, Powersurge, Presence, Prester John, Princess Python, Professor Power, Psyklop, Punisher, Puppet Master, Q'Wake, 
Quantum, Radioactive Man, Red Barbarian, Red Ghost, Red Raven, Red Ronin, Rhino, Robbie Rider, Robert Minoru, Rocket Launcher, Saboteur, Salvation One, Samurai Steel, Sangrida, Sasha Hammer, Satannish, Sauron, Savage Steel (Vale), Scanner, Scarecrow, Scorpio, Scorpio (LaPoint), Scorpion, Senator Boynton, Senator Harrington Byrd, Sensational Hydra, Senschi, Sentry, Shadow Lord, Shakkoth, She-Hulk, Shocker, Shockwave, Shriek, Shuma-Gorath, Sickle, Sidewinder, Simon Gilbert, Skrull Black Bolt, Skullcrasher, Slag, Slasher, Smokescreen, Sofia Mantega, Solarr, Son of Yinsen, Sonic, Space Phantom, Spider-Man, Spider-Man Robot, Spider-Woman (Veranke), Spymaster, Stansky, Star-Stalker, Starhammer, Stiletto, Stilt-Man, Stinger, Stratosfire, Sundown, Sunset Bain, Sunstroke, Sunturion, Super-Adaptoid, Supernalia, Surrender Monkey, Taboo, Tactical Force, Taifu, Taskmaster, Tatterdemalion, Taurus, Taurus (LMD), Technovore, Tempus, Temujin, Terminus, Terraxia, Tethra, Thanos, The Collective, The Phantom, The Termite, The Wink, Therak, Thunderball, Thundersword, Tiberius Stone, Tina Minoru, Titanium Man, Tobias, Tracer, Tuatara, Turk, Turmoil, Tyrak, Ultimator, Ultimo, Ultron, Unicorn, Unuscione, Val Adair, Val-Larr, Vanguard, Vapor, Venom, Vertigo, Vetis, Vibro, Victoria Hand, Vincent Sandhurst, Elaine McLaughlin, Visage, Volkhvy, VOR/TEX, Warfist, Weather-maker, Weatherman, Werewolf By Night, Whiplash (Scarlotti), Whiplash (Vanko), Whirlwind, Wiccan, Wong-Chu, Worm, Wrecker, Xemnu, Yelena Belova, Yorgon Tykkio, Yun Guang
Han, Zaran, Zzzax
Religion: futurist; technophile; mostly secular; sometimes prays; Alcoholics Anonymous
  • Genius-level intellect
  • A cyberpathic link with a prior version of his powered armored suit
  • Superhuman strength and durability
  • Supersonic flight at Mach 3
  • Energy repulsors
  • Missiles
  • Regenerative life support (sometimes powered by solar power)
Base Of Operations: Stark Tower (New York City, New York State), also has homes in Alexandria, Virginia, Seattle, Washington, and Los Angeles, California; formerly Avengers Mansion (New York City, New York), Avengers Compound, Resilient HQ (Seattle, Washington)


Identity Secret: Public
Race: Human
Citizenship: American with no criminal record
Marital Status: Single
Occupation: business owner, entrepreneur, industrialist, inventor, government official, Adventurer, founder of the Maria Stark foundation, president emeritus of Resilient; former United States Secretary of Defense, Executive Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., CEO of Stark Enterprises, Stark Enterprises, Stark Solutions, Circuits Maximus & Stark International, computer technician

Education: Multiple PhDs in Physics and Electrical Engineering


Gender: Male
Height: 154.94 cm (without armor); 167.64 cm (including armor)
Weight: 225 lbs (102 kg) (without armor); Formerly 425 lbs (including armor)
Eyes: Blue
Unusual Features: Has a R.T. node implanted in his chest, which maintains his body functions.


Origin: Tony Stark was born to parents Howard and Maria Stark. During a conflict in Afghanistan, Stark was captured by terrorists and, with a piece of shrapnel in his heart, was about to die. Constructing a suit of iron armor that would also help with his recovery, Stark broke out of captivity and journeyed back home to the United States where he built an advanced suit of armor and become Iron Man

Universe: Earth-616
Place of Origin: Earth
Birth place: Long Island, New York


Early Life

Anthony Stark, son of industrialist and inventor Howard Stark, demonstrated his mechanical aptitude and extraordinary inventive genius at a very early age, enrolling in the undergraduate electrical engineering program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) at the age of 15.[1] Double majors in physics and engineering were easy for him.[2] When he was 21, he inherited his father's business, Stark Industries, and within a few years turned it into a multi-billion dollar industry complex whose chief contracts were for advanced weaponry and munitions for the U.S. government.

Inventing the Iron Man Armor

Stark went to Afghanistan[4] to supervise a field test for one of his transistorized weapons.[5] He ignored concerns that security was insufficient. Stark tripped on a booby trap and a piece of shrapnel was lodged in his chest. The gravely injured Stark was taken captive by the an revolutionary leader Wong-Chu, and was
informed that within a week the shrapnel would penetrate his heart and kill him. Wong-Chu offered Stark a deal: if he built a powerful weapon, Wong-Chu would allow Stark to undergo an operation to save his life. Knowing this was a lie, Stark agreed, hoping to gain time and access to tools. 

Stark was given access to a small laboratory with another captive, the renowned Oriental physicist and Nobel laureate Professor Ho Yinsen. With Yinsen acting as his assistant, Stark designed and built an electrically powered suit of armor equipped with heavy offensive weaponry. The armor also contained a pacemaker-like device that enabled Stark's heart to keep beating after the shrapnel entered it. 

Donning the suit, Stark connected it to its power source,
an electrical generator. Lying on a table Stark was helpless until the suit was fully charged. His captor, Wong-Chu, sensed something was amiss and came to investigate with armed men. Realizing he was sacrificing his life, Professor Ho Yinsen went out to confront Wong-Chu, to give Stark the extra time he needed to charge the armored suit fully. As the Iron Man, Stark avenged Yinsen's death and scattered Wong-Chu's guerrilla troops[6]. Then, still clad in his armor, which was necessary to keep his heart beating, Stark made his way to the jungle, trying to escape enemy territory. 

James Rhodes, a pilot in the United States Marines who was stationed in Southeast Asia, had been shot down in the jungle by rockets while he was on a reconnaissance mission. Rhodes managed to land safely and was attempting to get his helicopter air-worthy when he encountered Iron Man. After Iron Man helped Rhodes fight off an attack by enemy forces, Rhodes allowed him to drain the helicopter's batteries to recharge his armor. The two tracked through the jungle together, finally discovering a hidden rocket base. Stealing an enemy helicopter, they destroyed the site and flew to the nearest American base. 

Back in the United States, Stark redesigned his chest plate, which contained a pacemaker-like device, reducing the chest plate's size and weight so he could wear it under his normal clothing. Required to wear the armor's chest plate at all times to keep his heart beating, Stark decided to put the rest of the armor to regular use as well. 

After redesigning the entire armored suit to match the lighter chest plate, Stark made the existence of the suit public. He concealed the suit's true origin, as well as the fact that he
himself had to wear the chest plate to live. Stark made it known that he would soon manufacture the suit, which he called "the human machine," for sale to be then public.

Becoming Iron Man

Soon afterward, Stark donned one of his battle suits in order to prevent thieves from stealing parts from the other copies of it. This experience made him realize that the suit was too dangerous to be made available to the public. The next day Stark revealed what had happened to him in Southeast Asia to Joanna Nivena, his then fiancé.[7] Together they attended a tennis match in Forest Hills, N.Y. that afternoon. Stark brought along his armor, which he was taking to a nearby laboratory for tests. Terrorists who threatened to kill everyone present with a bomb invaded the match. Joanna urged Stark to don the armor to stop the terrorists. Stark did so, captured the terrorists and saved the spectators by throwing himself atop the bomb. Iron Man thus publicly became a hero, and Stark had a new sense of purpose, having decided to combat evildoers as Iron Man. 

Wishing to retain some degree of anonymity, Stark established the fiction
that Iron Man was his paid bodyguard wearing a suit of armor that he had invented. Only his most trusted aides learned Stark and Iron Man were one and the same. One of these early confidantes was "Happy" Hogan, whom Tony hired as his chauffeur[8]. Hogan fell in love with Tony's secretary Pepper Potts, whom Tony was secretly in love with[9]. Even though Potts reciprocated Tony's feelings, she eventually began a whirlwind romance with Hogan, which ended with the two of them getting married. 

At first, Stark used his Iron Man identity mostly to combat spies, like the Actor[10], and criminals who threatened Stark Industries, like the Melter[11] or Mr. Doll[12]. 

During this time, the original Crimson Dynamo attacked Stark Industries, but Tony Stark persuaded him to defect[13]. Also, Stark faced off for the first time against the Mandarin[14], who would become one of his most recurring enemies[15]. 

Later, he expanded the scope of his alter ego's activities to battle any force or person who threatened the security of America or the world. Stark was instrumental in the organization and armament of the original global intelligence and law-enforcement agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D.. As Iron
Man, he became a founding member of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the team of super-human champions known as The Avengers[16]. Stark donated his Manhattan mansion to the Avengers for their exclusive use. 

As an Avenger, Stark would go on to participate in many missions over the years, although he sometimes had trouble reconciling his private affairs with his responsibilities in the Avengers[17]. With the other remaining founders after the Hulk left[18], he was among those who discovered the frozen form of the heroic Captain America, still frozen since World War II[19]. He was also the Avenger who sponsored the membership of Hawkeye, a man whom he had skirmished with, after realizing his good intentions. Hawkeye was one of the new Avengers who joined when Stark and the other founders decided to take leaves of absence[20]. 

Over the years Stark constantly refined and modified the design of his armor. From a bulky, transistorized iron suit, he eventually built a relatively lightweight, integrated circuit, magnetically-polarized suit with more human-looking articulated musculature[21]. Stark's extraordinary genius in theoretical mechanics has enabled him to keep his suit of armor state-of-the-art. Stark eventually underwent heart transplant surgery so that he was no longer obligated to wear his metallic chest plate. 

For moral reasons, Stark eventually decided to stop manufacturing armaments and devoted his company to other areas of technology.

The Illuminati

In the wake of the Kree-Skrull War, Stark initiated a meeting in Wakanda with Professor X, Mister Fantastic, Black Bolt, Doctor Strange, and Namor to form a clandestine, unnamed group to devise strategy and policy regarding overarching menaces (the "Illuminati").[23] Stark's original goal was to create a governing body for all superheroes in the world to answer to (with him most likely being the head of that group by his mannerism during the meeting). However, the different beliefs and philosophies, besides the fact that many heroes chose to conceal their real identities, made Stark's plan impractical. Despite this, the group agreed to share vital information.

Alcoholism and a New Iron Man

In recent years Tony Stark's greatest nemesis has been alcoholism.[24] As a wealthy socialite, alcohol had been a constant part of his life. When his company, which had changed its name from Stark Industries to Stark International, was threatened with the takeover at the same time he was experiencing oppressive personal problems, Stark began to abuse alcohol. Although he managed to recover quickly from his first serious bout, the compulsion to drink remained a constant temptation. The second time he succumbed to alcoholism, due to even more devastating personal problems than the first time, Tony Stark went on a several month binge during which he was cheated out of Stark International, had all Iron Man suits destroyed (except one), lost the leases on his various apartments, and had his personal assets frozen so that he could not touch his fortune. All of this was the result of the machinations
of the mysterious European entrepreneur Obadiah Stane, who took over Stark's company, renaming it Stane International. 

During this time, Stark's friend James Rhodes, who had gone to work for Stark after leaving the military, assumed custody of the Iron Man armor and operated as Iron Man in his stead.[25] 

When Stark finally regained his sobriety, he joined with Rhodes and two of his friends, Morley Irwin (late of Stark International) and his sister Clytemnestra Irwin of Richmond Enterprises, to set up a new electronics firm in California named Circuits Maximus.[26] In its brief existence, Circuits Maximus became a prestigious and successful firm. 

While the armor was in his custody, Jim Rhodes became increasingly enamored with being Iron Man and, upon Stark's return to sobriety, feared that Stark would ask for it back. The cybernetic helmet had never been properly calibrated to Rhodes' brain patterns; he began to have severe headaches and his thinking was clouded. As a result Rhodes began to manifest hostility toward Stark. As part of his therapy, Stark constructed a simple suit of armor based on his original design with no intention of donning it until he felt in control of his alcoholism. When Rhodes began acting irrationally, however, Stark felt obligated to put on this crude suit of armor to prevent Rhodes from
doing harm. Stark managed to subdue Rhodes and made necessary recalibrations on the cybernetics. For a brief time Stark and Rhodes used their respective suits of armor as Iron Men, although Stark did so reluctantly. At the suggestion of the West Coast Avengers chairman, Hawkeye, Stark designed and built his most sophisticated armor to date, presumably so that the Avengers could find someone to wear the suit and bolster the team's strength.
However, soon after its completion, Obadiah Stane became alarmed at Stark's steps toward recovery. Circuits Maximus was bombed, injuring Rhodes and killing Morley Irwin.[27] Desiring vengeance,
Stark donned the untested new armor and sought out Stane. Stane himself put on a suit his engineers had built using Stark's plans, and met Iron Man in battle as the Iron Monger. Losing the battle against Stark, Stane committed suicide. 

Stark decided that although one is never truly cured of alcoholism, he could also not deny the responsibility of being Iron Man. He resumed his career as Iron Man, and joined the new West Coast branch of the Avengers.

Founding Stark Enterprises

Stark also managed to reclaim control of his fortune, although he decided not to claim ownership of the company formerly known as Stark International. Rather, he founded a new technological design
and manufacturing company, Stark Enterprises, based in Silicon Valley in Southern California. Stark Enterprises quickly became a highly successful and innovative company.

The Armor Wars

Stark learned that an industrialist calling himself Spymaster had stolen the plans for the many secret technological innovations found in the Iron Man armor.[28] Spymaster had then turned these plans over to Stark's most powerful and antagonistic business rival, Justin Hammer, who in turn had made them available to criminals. These criminals had then incorporated the stolen technological innovations into their own armored battle suits. Outraged that his inventions were
being used for criminal activity, and even for killing, Stark determined to deprive these criminals of his secrets. He planted a computer virus in Hammer's computer system that would wipe out all traces of the plans for Stark's Iron Man technology. As Iron Man, Stark sought out and caught many criminals and others (such as the United States government's Guardsmen) who wore a battle suit utilizing his technology. He implanted devices called 'negator packs' on their armor to fuse the circuits, rendering the suit useless. With the computer records of the plans for his technology gone, presumably it could not be used in reconstructing the suits.
Iron Man accidentally killed the second Titanium Man (also known as the Gremlin) in the course of these "Armor Wars".[29] 

The United States government branded Iron Man an outlaw as a result of these and other vigilante actions, and his longtime Avengers comrade Captain America was among those opposing him.
Stark publicly claimed that he had fired Iron Man in displeasure over his illegal activity. Shortly afterward, Iron Man was apparently destroyed in combat with government forces. 

In fact, however, Stark had survived. He created an even more sophisticated armored battle suit to wear as Iron Man using technology far more advanced than that which Spymaster had stolen from him. Stark continued to go into action as Iron Man, but publicly claimed that the previous Iron Man was dead and that another employee of his whose identity was being kept secret was now wearing the armored suit.

Stark Shot

Later, Kathleen Dare, a former lover of his with an unstable mind, shot Stark.[30] The gunfire severely injured Stark's spine and it appeared he could be crippled for the rest of his life, unable to walk. However he could still function normally within his Iron Man armor. A microchip device was later implanted in Stark's spine that enabled him to walk and move normally once again. This 'bio-chip' proved problematic and degenerative nerve damage occurred. This was aggravated by the attack of Kearson DeWitt, a madman who claimed Stark had stolen his father's designs. DeWitt had
Stark's nervous system attacked with a techno-organic virus, but Stark was able to survive. He temporarily had to be placed in cryo-stasis, with James Rhodes taking his place as CEO.[31] Soon after recovering, Stark was injured from feedback from a 'telepresence' system to remotely control his Iron Man armor and battle Ultimo. Stark eventually recovered after extensive rehabilitation. 

Stark was forced to restructure Stark Enterprises when several of Stane's business decisions were leaked to the press. This also caused a number of other heroes to confront Iron Man, such as the Hulk regarding gamma bomb production plants. 

Stark also quarreled with Rhodes over several good-intentioned but wrong decisions Jim made as CEO (such as selling off nuclear assets to a dummy company secretly operated by AIM), as well as his actions in Imaya. Rhodes was still angry Stark had lied to him about his nerve damage condition. The two briefly clashed, but have since resumed their friendship.


Later, while under the influence of Immortus, Stark committed a number of horrible acts and was temporarily replaced by a younger version of him.[32] This was corrected when Franklin Richards brought him and the other heroes who sacrificed themselves against Onslaught back. When the replacement Tony Stark returned to the 616 Marvel Universe, he was merged with the 616 Tony Stark who was resurrected thanks to Franklin Richards. Shortly after returning he subjected himself to judgment by his fellow Avengers and was exonerated. 

Stark declined to challenge the Fujikawa acquisition and formed a new company, Stark Solutions. Injuries from battling the Mandarin and other foes revealed a danger of long-term armor exposure. The armor's power systems and insulation were significantly redesigned to compensate. Jocasta's AI was recovered from Sunset Bain. 

The Sons of Yinsen, who became worshipers of his mentor and the Iron Man technology, contacted Tony.

Sentient Armor

During a battle with Whiplash during a storm, the armor became sentient.[33] This would be later revealed due to the Ultron Imperative. Iron Man (Sentient Armor) decided it would replace Stark, but ultimately sacrificed itself to repair damage to its creator's heart. 

Stark posed as simple worker 'Hogan Potts' at Askew Electronics, incorporating a new alloy called SKIN into his armor designs. After tests against the Shocker, he went into battle against AIM, the Ghost, and finally Ultron after the villain revealed his manipulation of the Sons of Yinsen, his role in the sentient armor, and corrupting the SKIN technology. 

Stark investigated an early military armor that had been distributed to rebel forces
around the world.[34] 

Temugin also made his presence felt, challenging Iron Man for the apparent death of his father, the Mandarin. 

A strange alien bio-plasm was investigated in Las Vegas.[35] 

Stark infiltrated the Thunderbolts posing as the Cobalt Man.


The US military attempted to claim older model Iron Man armors.[37] Their pretense was
that Stark had not patented the technology and that he violated agreements made after the Armor Wars by continuing to adventure as Iron Man. 

At the same time, a new Secretary of Defense was needed. Stark vied for the position and halted a disaster involving the technology as Iron Man. 

Stark (later revealed to be manipulated by the Scarlet Witch) suddenly threatened a Latverian ambassador at a UN meeting. Clarence Ward used a stolen armor to kill nearly all of Stark Industries' board and Rumiko Fujikawa. In light of the incidents, Stark resigned as secretary. 

Stark returned to work at a hectic pace, often sleeping in his lab. A former classmate asked for help, a super soldier project named Extremis had been given to a small terrorist group. Iron Man battled the augmented terrorist Mallen, but suffered massive injuries. Taking Extremis, Iron Man healed and found himself able to directly interface with technology, especially the armor. Going after Mallen again, Stark was forced to kill him. 

Stark found he was becoming more and more aggressive battling the Crimson Dynamo and assisting the Avengers against Graviton.[38] He also began building a group of drones nicknamed the Argonauts. 'Iron Man' was spotted attacking several officials, including those involved in his and Ho Yinsen's imprisonment. Stark agreed to go under watch, but armored up and escaped. He confronted Extremis' creator, only to learn the enhancement was not part of it. An outside force was controlling him. The Sentry was sent to apprehend Iron Man, only to find a remote unit and stopped via Tony's manipulation of CLOC. 

Stark tracked down the sender at a press conference, finding Ho Yinsen's son. He
learned Yinsen had been forced to secretly implant a control chip in Stark during their imprisonment years ago. This chip operated on Yinsen's breakthrough in using electromagnetic signals to control the body. Operatives looking to steal the technology killed Yinsen’s wife. In revenge, his son activated the chip, using Iron Man to go after those he felt responsible. A S.H.I.E.L.D. sniper soon shot Yinsen's son, activating his fail-safe: the Argonauts.

The New Avengers

While flying around the city, Iron Man arrived at the Raft prison to aid Captain America, Luke Cage, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Matt Murdock, and the Sentry in keeping prisoners in after a prison break. Tony was initially reluctant to make a new team but eventually agreed. The New Avengers went to find Karl Lykos and found out that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been enslaving the Savage Land Mutates to dig in Vibranium mines. Next, The New Avengers found the Sentry and helped him restore his memory before going off to Japan to face HYDRA and the Hand. After they returned, the New
Avengers revealed themselves to the world. After this, the House of M occurred, followed by a battle with the Collective. In between these missions, the Sentry was sent to battle Iron Man by the government, and Tony only defeated him by showing the Sentry several reports of disasters awaiting his actions, which caused the Sentry to collapse. Tony also tried to help Cap shut down the Young Avengers, only to help them fend off an invasion by both the Kree and the Skrulls over Hulkling. The New Avengers also attempted to apprehend the vigilante Cloak when he was framed for an attack on his partner Dagger, but were interrupted by the Runaways, who helped clear Cloak's name.

Superhuman Registration Act

Learning of the government's plans to instigate a Superhuman Registration Act that would force costumed, super-powered individuals to reveal their identities to the government and sign on as licensed agents, Iron Man at first sought to defeat the proposal, even going to such lengths as to hire the Titanium Man to attack the hearing
on the act as he testified in order to manipulate opinion in his favor. However, at some point, Tony Stark's opinion of the Act changed, seeing it as a new means to achieve the goal that he had sought in forming the "Illuminati", and to tie the knots of friendship between humans and superheroes.[39] He attempted to convince the other members of the clandestine group to support the new Act, stating that their input could prevent the Act from becoming too restrictive of superhuman activities, but all except Mister Fantastic rejected the idea of registration. 

After the Stamford, Connecticut disaster turned public opinion against super humans and fast-tracked the Act into law, Stark came out publicly in support of the Act, but the new law split the hero community in two. All of Stark's planning and manipulation came to fruition as Stark then became the representative and leader of the pro-registration side, placed in opposition to the anti-registration advocates. In his first major public action as a supporter of registration, Stark again unmasked as Iron Man. 

Prior to the events of Civil War, Stark assisted fellow Avenger Spider-Man and his
family. Peter Parker came to regard Stark as a mentor, became his assistant, and accepted a new technologically enhanced costume from him.[40] Stark also convinced Spider-Man to unmask and go public with his identity as well. However, Peter's feelings of being manipulated and unease about the rightness of Stark's cause grew until Stark revealed a prison for super humans he and Mister Fantastic had built in the Negative Zone. When Spider-Man attempted to escape from Stark Tower, along with his family, in order to join the Resistance, he attacked Stark, who had confronted him. However, due to Spider-Man's override of the suit given to him by Stark and some unexpected intervention by the Punisher, the web-slinger managed to escape with his family and was now considered a traitor by Stark and the Pro-Registration side.

Becoming Head of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Other incidents in which Stark was directly involved was the death of Goliath after being struck down by a clone of Thor, utilizing the Thunderbolts and other super-villains
as a task force to hunt down unregistered heroes and even using the Green Goblin as a weapon against them. Unknown to Stark, the Goblin was no longer under his control and was seeking his own agenda; however, Sally Floyd and Ben Urich allege that Stark himself who compromised the nanites in Osborn, an accusation that Stark did not deny[41]. Stark went to the moon where the Sentry was visiting the Inhumans.[42] He personally invited the Sentry to join his team, saying that he might not be around to see the end of the Civil War and he would need some stronger heroes to be there if this was to happen. The Sentry followed Iron Man back to Earth, where he supposedly joined his
side. Director Maria Hill suggested that Tony might become the next acting head of S.H.I.E.L.D. She cited his higher qualification than her, and the fact that it would "piss the right people off." Tony became very active in shutting down unregistered factions, frequently trying to arrest the New Avengers and
pouring S.H.I.E.L.D. agents into Los Angeles to capture the Runaways. Eventually, Captain America's group surrendered and was granted amnesty, with Cap agreeing to go on trial for his actions during the "Civil War". However, while in custody, Captain America was killed in an assassination orchestrated by the Red Skull. Stark was devastated by his friend's death, and left unsure on how to proceed. In a letter Steve had written before his death, he asked Tony to insure that the Captain America legacy lived on and to look out for Bucky Barnes. Tony was instrumental in getting Bucky to assume the mantle of Captain America. 

Iron Man and the other Illuminati were responsible for exiling Hulk from Earth, and were the people Hulk sought revenge on when he returned. Luckily, Stark
saw this possibility as an eventuality, and was prepared to engage the Hulk with a brand new Hulk-Buster armor.[43] The battle between them destroyed most of New York City, and blows were thrown so powerful that no other hero could get close enough to help or act. Stark Tower collapsed on top of the two during the battle, and ultimately, Hulk took Tony captive to the Stadium with the rest of his captured heroes. Once all of Stark's sources (and comrades) were exhausted, he rendered the Hulk unconscious with orbiting military satellite lasers he helped install in his appointing as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. He had to draw money from numerous sources (most notably S.H.I.E.L.D itself) to repair Avengers Tower and the several damaged buildings and structures of New York. 

When Thor returned he learned of the events of the superhero-registration "Civil War" and was angered that Iron Man had waged war on the heroes who had been their friends and that Stark and others used his DNA to create the Thor Clone without his knowledge or permission. Tony began to fight Thor but it became obvious he could not win. Seeking a compromise, Stark rationalized that Asgard could be considered a foreign embassy, with diplomatic immunity granted to its inhabitants. Thor deemed this acceptable and the fighting stopped.
Tony came to the remains of the X-Mansion to talk with Cyclops. He informed the former X-Men leader that the government was pushing to get
the X-Men registered. Scott told him there were no more X-Men and that they were going to be registered for being born.[45] 

During the Skrull Invasion Stark's armor was infected by an alien cyber virus which ultimately purged him of the Extremis virus. Stark discovered Spider-Woman herself was the Skrull Queen Veranke who nearly deceived him to join ranks with her. He was saved by Ms. Marvel who upon Tony's request left him with Black Widow who acted as his defense until he could fix his damaged armor to a point to where it was fully functional. Tony led the heroes of New York against the Skrull invaders. His armor however, began to fail in midst of the battle forcing him to return to Avengers Tower for another one. The President of the United States was less than reasonable regarding Stark's action and ultimately removed Stark as director of S.H.I.E.L.D, and disbanded the entire agency itself. Although the battle against the alien invasion had been won, Tony suffered a great loss. His technology was non-functional, his corporations were in dismay, he had many new enemies, and little to no allies willing to help him with any of his problems.

Dark Reign

After the invasion, the U.S. government also disbanded the Avengers, handing control of the Initiative over to Norman Osborn. Iron Man was later a member of Henry Pym's Mighty Avengers.[46] Before fighting the threat of Chthon, Iron Man helped to subdue the Hulk.[47] He left the team after realizing he was not yet ready to be a part of it.[48] 

With his Extremis powers failing, Stark was able to upload a virus that destroyed all records of the Registration Act, thus preventing Osborn from learning the identities of his fellow heroes. The only copy of this database remained in Stark's head, while he was now on the run in one of his extra armors,[49] and his remaining armors in Stark Tower were now in Osborn's hands.[50] Iron Man managed to gain a new armor and fought Namor in the Stark Undersea Base.[51] Stark was able to outsmart the Atlantean and escape the collapsing base. Osborn then placed a bounty on Stark's head, offering mountains of gold to the Hood's gang. The members of the secret organization the Cabal gathered to discuss many issues, among which was the hunt for Stark. Stark was losing intelligence by the day which slowed his thinking time and caused him to not be able to pronounce difficult words correctly. He started gathering and assembling parts to make his Iron Man suit easier to navigate and control as it was becoming more and more difficult for him to do so. He later abandoned it for the Dynamo Armor, which he borrowed from Dimitri Bukharin.[52] Tony was later tracked down Pepper
but the two were captured by Madame Masque.[53] 

He managed to escape with Pepper's help, but was forced to leave her behind so she could fend off Masque. He then made his way to Afghanistan, but before he could reach his destination, he was shot down by Afghani militants. With his armor destroyed, Tony was forced to abandon it and proceed on foot to his destination, the secret laboratory that Stark worked with Ho Yinsen as a captive in developing the first Iron Man armor, Mark 0. Dusting off the outdated computer systems, Stark was able to reactivate the old suit, which was now the only armor simple enough for his deteriorating mind to operate.[54] 

When Osborn personally caught up to the debilitated Stark and beat him savagely, Pepper Potts broadcasted the beatings, costing Osborn credibility and giving Stark public sympathy. Stark went into a vegetative state, having previously granted Donald Blake (Thor's alter ego) power of attorney

Stark Disassembled

A holographic message stored in Pepper's armor revealed that Stark had developed a means of 'rebooting' his mind from his current state prior to his destruction of the database. Blake and Bucky resolved to use it to restore him to normal despite Stark's offer in the message to stay in his current state if it would make things easier and Pepper's own uncertainty about the fact that Tony could come back when so many others could not.
The procedure on how to reboot Stark was very complicated. First, they had to place Pepper's electromagnet implant onto his chest, which would be fueling his entire biology. Then they jacked in the hard drive that Maria Hill recovered, which was a backup copy of his brain before he underwent the Extremis injection and then they activated the implant by channeling Thor's lightning through Captain America's shield connected to it.[57] 

Meanwhile, in the last remaining vestiges of Stark's
mind, he was in a barren wasteland, digging for the lost relics of his life, assisted by a couple named Howard and Maria. However, every time he found something, giant machines resembling his own Titanomechs would attack, causing the illusion to reset. He eventually found he was digging for an iron chest plate, resembling the 1960s version of his old armor. [58] 

Back on Earth, Pepper, Rhodey, and Captain America sent in Doctor Strange to help Tony after the first attempt to revive him failed. The Ghost
interrupted the doctor's ritual, but Tony Stark manually overcame his coma and used the Ghost's ghostphone to transport the assassin away. It was then everyone realized Tony's backup memory drive was not quite complete, as he was awed by the events he read about on his computer after the skirmish, which included the Civil War, Captain America's assassination, the Secret Invasion, and Dark Reign.


During most of the Siege of Asgard Tony Stark was out of commission, but suddenly returned wearing an older version of his armor, disabling Norman Osborn's stolen Iron Patriot armor and signaling the return of all three main Avengers; including Thor and Steve Rogers. 

After the Siege, Tony built a new model of armor with the help of Mister Fantastic. He also apologized to Thor for everything he had done. Later, Tony announced that he would make a new company, Stark Resilient.[59], to rebuild his former wealth and to extend his repulsor technology as a civilian energy source.


After his reboot Tony, now with no company, decides to start a new company named Stark Resilient. Thor offers to give him treasures to fund his new venture, however he rejects it hoping to start from scratch. After working with Reed Richards on his new upgraded suit he pulls Stark from making government weapons. 

Pepper becomes his new CEO and informs business men that he wants to use his Repulsor technology to change the world and remove the need for oil and other fossil fuels. However he tells them that if they don't get on board he will ruin them. Angered by this, Pepper has a helicopter leave Tony, forcing him to use his new armor.
Meanwhile the Hammer girls Sasha Hammer and Justine Hammer plan to fill in the gap in military technology left by Stark Industries with their own Detroit Steel, and not in a nice way. To make sure that Stark's new company doesn't get in their way, they hire Spymaster to kill Stark Resilient while it's still in its crib. They also buy and sell old Stark Tech and H.A.M.M.E.R. weaponry and use some of it to fake a terrorist attack in Tokyo so their Detroit Steel could "defeat" these terrorists and come out victorious. Meanwhile making Iron Man and War Machine, who flew over there to see what's going on,
look ridiculous in front of the cameras. Though they do not come home empty-handed: Tony recognized the youngest Hammer girl, Sasha, as an accomplice to Ezekiel Stane who destroyed Stark Industries and nearly killed Tony. 

Meanwhile at the home front Stark Resilient has gathered a few misplaced geniuses to build him an Electric race car working on repulsor technology from scratch in six weeks. And Pepper Pots wants her own repulsor disc back in her chest and an armor suit to become the heroine Rescue once again. Tony is initially against this, but it seems he promised her this before his mind-wipe, so he does what she asks and Pepper becomes Rescue once again. Tony hosts a gala in name of Stark Resilient and invites both Hammer girls. After an appearance together with Pepper, Tony takes off with Sasha Hammer.

The Heroic Age

On the day Tony was to public display his car, he was attacked by Hammer's forces and Detroit Steel. He found out that the drones were controlled by a cell phone application and with the help of his team was able to shut them all down. Tony was then able to focus on battling Detroit Steel who was trying to make his own publicity stunt by defeating Iron Man which would prove that the U.S. Government would be getting a better deal with Hammer. than they ever did from Stark (as Stark had rejected to make anything for them) However, the battle proved fruitless for Detroit Steel and Iron Man was able to save the day. However, this was only a minor setback to Sasha and Justine Hammer who were able to form a partnership with both Ezekiel and the Mandarin for preparation towards their next confrontation. 

Having saved the day for now and his new company starting to shape up, he went to a local Alcoholics Anonymous meeting at the behest of Pepper to inspire confidence to those suffering from the condition. Things seemed to be going well for Tony but Doctor Octopus challenged him telling him that he had a bomb that would detonate most of the city if he
didn’t comply to his request.
When Iron Man went to the location he met Doctor Octopus and recalled their early years as classmates. He challenged Iron Man to either remedy his current health condition or publicly admit defeat that he was unable to solve such a case. Tony stated that Octavius' past actions were catching up with him and that he needed to see a doctor which he wasn’t. 

Meanwhile, Stark Resilient was also attacked by Electro and Sandman, who were sent by Doctor Octopus. However, Pepper proved to be quite a match for them and they ended up having to retreat. At the base, Doctor Octopus told Tony to beg him, which he humiliatingly complied with realizing that lives were at stake for the mere pleasure of the mad
man. Doctor Octopus recorded the scene and let Tony go and stated that he had been outsmarted and that there really wasn’t a bomb to diffuse. 

Tony flew back to his office to see if everyone was alright. Upon the positive turn of events, Tony and Pepper decided to enjoy themselves and were staring into the sunset when they witnessed something fast falling from the sky. Upon hearing that there were multiple such occurrences of such an event around the world, Tony went to Paris to investigate where one of the hammers had fallen and told Pepper to hire Bethany Cabe who dismissed the idea stating the Tony just wanted another redhead in his office. Tony told her that it was because she was resourceful and capable woman. 

Fear Itself

During The Serpent's bid to rule Earth, Tony fought Mokk in the streets of Paris, France, where all citizens had been turned into living statues.Finding himself unable to defeat Mokk with conventional methods, Tony entreated Odin to allow him to design magically powered weapons in the forges of Asgard.[60] Haunted by the casualties and his failure, Tony began drinking again. Then Odin appeared and after discussing with Tony, the All-Father proposed to Tony to create magical weapons at Svartalfheim. However, determined not to fail again, he restored his sobriety. With these weapons, the Avengers defeated the Serpent's Worthy and Skadi, while Thor defeated the Serpent himself but
payed with his life. Days later, Tony destroyed the weapons at Svartalfheim and after discussing with Odin, the God brought back to life the "statues" of the Parisians who weren't broken. Also, Stark offered the dark elf Splitlip a place to work at Stark Resilient

Avengers vs. X-Men

Weeks later, Ezekiel Stane and Mandarin started upgrading classic villains of the Golden Avenger and used them to make acts of wars over the World. Which caused Tony to be doubted if he can really pilot the Iron Man armor, being cited by the U.S. army, with help of War Machine but before this conflict could be solved, a new one raised. 

The Avengers fought the X-Men for the custody of Hope Summers, believed to be Phoenix's next host.[62] While the rest of the Avengers where in different locations around the World, trying to find Hope, Tony stayed at the Avengers Tower creating a Phoenix-killing armor, which he later used during the battle against the X-Men in the
Blue Area of the Moon to face the Phoenix. When he used a disruptor on it, the cosmic entity wasn't killed but divided into five parts which possessed each one of the X-Men present at the scene.[63] 

The Phoenix-possessed X-Men started changing the world into a better place for living, but knowing that Phoenix's ultimately destructive nature would bring chaos, Captain America and the Avengers tried to get Hope from Utopia in order to use her knowledge about the Phoenix against it while Tony started modifying his Phoenix-Killer Armor to prevent other failure, after the Scarlet Witch helped them against the X-Men (previously having visions of the Phoenix destroying Earth), Cyclops decided to hunt down every Avenger. The Thunderer offered the Avengers to hide in K'un L'un, as well as to train Hope to face the Phoenix, because of his past experience with the Phoenix Host and Iron Fist Fongji, and the prophecy of the Phoenix bringing chaos to Earth. After Tony, Wolverine, Hope and the Thunderer teleported to K'un L'un, Namor attacked where they were hiding, Wakanda, along a full army of Atlanteans.[64] After defeating Namor with the price of the partial destruction of Wakanda, the rest of the Avengers teleported to K'un L'un, in order to help Hope to train to face the Phoenix. 

He spent weeks enclosed searching for the connection between the Phoenix Force and Iron Fist. When Cyclops located the Avengers in K'un-
L'un, he faced him with everything he had in order to allow Hope get to the Thunderer, after Cyclops defeated Tony and other Avengers, Hope and the Thunderer appeared along Shou-Lao, she absorbed the dragon's powers and managed to teleport Cyclops away. 

The Avengers then teamed up with several X-Men who had realized that Cyclops and Emma had completely lost control. Together they attacked Cyclops and Emma and gained the upper hand until Cyclops was forced to take the final piece of the Phoenix from Emma, making him the sole host. The complete Phoenix proved too much and finally turned him into Dark Phoenix.[65] 

The Avengers fought Summers around the world with the help of the X-Men and Nova, as well as trying to contain the chaos the gigantic force produced around Earth, but who finally managed to defeat him were Scarlet Witch and Hope, the Phoenix left Scott and possessed Hope, but she managed to control it, repairing all the damage Scott caused on the planet, and finally, using the powers of the Scarlet Witch to manipulate reality, she destroyed the Phoenix Force with a final blast of energy which caused millions of people around Earth to manifest mutant powers. Cyclops was finally incarcerated, and Steve accepted the Avengers should've done more to help mutants, and allowed the
world to hate them. As a result, he started planning a new team of Avengers in hopes of unify mutant and humankind.

Mandarin's last stand

After the conflict with the X-Men, General Bruce Babbage forced Tony to use a special attachment to his armor, which could turn it off whenever he wanted. After faking Rhodey's death and having Pepper in a crisis, Tony left Mandarin and Hammer win this battle, only to start playing with his own rules.[67] 

In a plan apparently made with Captain America, Tony quit being Iron Man, giving General Babbage what he wanted. He had to take his armor out of his system, although he gave Rhodey a new armor to take his place, after he helped Rhodey to fake his death. After Spymaster infiltrated Stark Resilient and attacked many of its members, Stark decided no longer be part of that company, to keep his friends safe from Mandarin, who remotely managed to control Stark and make him his prisoner and force him to build Titanomech along Ezekiel Stane.[68] After Mandarin used 3 of his rings to power the first Titanomech, Tony started a plan with Ezekiel, he convinced super villains Whirlwind, Blizzard and Living Laser to join him in a rebellion with the final purpose of defeat the Mandarin, and managed to use the technology in his
body to help Resilient to find him, using microbots known as the Swarm, which tracked the repulsor technology of Tony's body. Resilient asked for help to the Triumph Division and the Dynasty to help Tony defeat the Mandarin and his Titanomech. After Tim Cababa managed to reactivate the Extremis virus inside Stark's body, Tony created a link with the Swarm, and use them as bombs to destroy Mandarin's weapons, who in the end was killed by Stane.[69] 

Stark returned to Seattle, and after isolating himself in order to create new technologies and think
about his life, he decided to take some time and clear his mind in the process by going to space.

Guardians of the Galaxy

When he returned to Earth, Tony created a new armor to test new technologies, and after he received a programmed message from the deceased Maya Hansen he discovered she was forced by A.I.M. to replicate the lethal Extremis virus to create
super-humans. He infiltrated in an auction for the virus and managed to get from an A.I.M. leader to who the new Extremis was sold.[71] He later used different new armors for specific missions in order to destroy the Extremis samples and defeat any Extremis-modified super-human he could face around the world.[72] 

After defeating his enemies and having many aspects of his life questioned, Tony decided to accept an offer Star Lord made him[73] and joined the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Age of Ultron

Months after his return[76], Ultron launched a massive and sudden attack on New York, and the rest of the world, quickly taking over the whole planet[77], and slowly starting to remold it into
his own shape. Tony was among the heroes and citizens in a refuge from Ultron sentinels, which guarded the streets looking for any fugitive, and he provided them enough technology to keep them safe from Ultron.[78] 

Captain America revealed he had a plan to defeat Ultron, which included heading to the Savage Land. Using Sue Storm's invisibility and Storm's mistcloak, he and other heroes from the resistance managed to arrive to Antarctica, where they met Ka-Zar. Emma Frost's mental powers detected Luke Cage in the proximity, who survived an attack from Ultron's forces and managed to get to the Savage Land using a Quinjet, via Frost, he told the heroes Ultron was actually in the future, using Vision as a conduit to punish humanity. In that moment Moon Knight, Black Widow and Red Hulk arrived, revealing they had a plan made
by Nick Fury to defeat Ultron.[79] Tony was one of the heroes who decided to form a team and use one of Doctor Doom's Time Platforms to travel to the future and defeat Ultron, but as soon as they got to what was Manhattan, they were overpowered by a swarm of Ultron sentinels.


Tony Stark is, for the lack of a better word, complicated. During his early days of success, Stark was a man who only cared about fame and wealth. He had no sense of responsibility or humility, always rubbing his success on the face of everyone he met. This all changed when he was captured by terrorists. After building the first Iron Man armor and escaping captivity, Stark had realized the kind of person he really was and engaged in a life of heroism to atone for his past mistakes. 

Plagued by many vices, Stark is prone to womanizing, pride and most surprisingly, alcoholism. This lifetime of troubles has caused him to develop a cynical view of the world. Despite this, Stark is devoted to truly make the world a better place. 

Iron Man is a hero that relies on his intellect and technological resources to defeat foes and achieve victory. Stark invariably prides himself on being one of the most intelligent people of the Marvel Universe. 


As an upperclassman, Stark suffered from alcoholism. He drank almost on a regular basis, and subsequently got replaced by Rhodey as Iron Man and got kicked off the Avengers (though he eventually regained his position). By the time of the Heroic Age, he managed to stay sober till his meeting with Odin. Despite this, he still managed to stay sober and control his drinking.

Powers and Abilities


Thanks to the Repulsor Tech node implanted in his chest, which is linked to his brain, Tony is able to interact with different types of energies and forces a normal human cannot. The R.T. node acts like a new sense for its user.[81] The reactor's excessive generation of energy provides Stark with an increased amount of intelligence and gave him superhuman-level multitasking and learning capabilities.
    less directed than the Uni-Beam.[82] 
  • Magnetic Force-Field: The R.T. node creates a force-field which can be modified at will by its user by incrementing the power of the Reactor. It can be so powerful to destroy bullets or repel people. It can be so powerful to surpass an electromagnetic field generated by Electro.[83] 
    • Electrical Fields Detection: As the R.T. node is connected to Tony, he can feel different electrical fields that the Reactor is picking up. This includes all kinds of invisible frequencies.[84] 
    • Levitation: The magnetic force-field generated by the Reactor can interfere the
      ones created by the planet and levitate. It's unknown if this interaction can be used to fly.[85] 
  • Enhanced Senses: The reactor also increases the senses of its user, allowing Tony to "hear better" for example.[86] 
  • Enhanced Strength: The R.T. node allows who possesses it to have a greater strength.[87] 
  • Enhanced Healing and Durability: It has been shown that an user of an R.T. node not only recovers incredibly fast from different types of injuries[88] but also to resist more physical damage than an average human. 
  • Psi-Shields: Due to S.H.I.E.L.D treatments, Stark's mind is shielded from even the strongest telepaths alive when he was the director of the organization.

Former Powers

After being fatally wounded by a Extremis-enhanced terrorist, Tony had to inject himself with the Extremis virus in order to survive and he gained super-human abilities. But they were removed during the Skrull Invasion, during which the Extremis inside Stark was hacked and destroyed by the Skrulls.Secret Invasion  #1 These include: 
  • Direct Cybernetic Interface: The Extremis virus has fused Stark's armor to his
    body. Initially the inner layers of the Iron Man armor were stored in the hollows of his bones, but later his entire exo-armor would be contained within carbon nanotubes. He is able to manifest and control the armor through direct brain impulses and even utilize some of its powers when unsurfaced. He has direct, cyberpathic control over the communication devices, scanning equipment, and recording devices located in his helmet. 
    • Wireless Communication: He is also able to remotely connect to external communications systems such as satellites, cellular phones, and computers throughout the world. Stark is also capable of projecting his voice through transmitting sound systems such as cellular phones via electric transmissions from his central nervous system. 
    • Superhuman Reflexes: The Extremis virus grants him enhanced speed reactions and movements. 
    • Regenerative Systems: Stark is capable has the ability to biologically heal himself and repair the armor. 
    • Limited Shapeshifting: His armor is made up of nano-machines that can be commanded to turn into any type of structure upon Stark's skin. Examples include clothes, other armors, additional weapons over his armor like a boxing glove or a
      modified laser cannon by having the nano-machines change their properties into whatever Stark wants them to. They can also dissociate to transform into the Iron Man armor whenever Stark wishes.

Iron Man Armor

Iron Man's primary powers mostly come from his armored suit. 

  • Suiting up the Iron Armor: The armor used to require several machines to put on the suit, in a lengthy process. Later, this was changed to having it in a suitcase, which shortened the suiting up time, but was not very effective on the battlefield. The deposition of the armors changed over time, being able to hold the armor within himself, and use it when needed, and spring into action in mere seconds. A new model of armor uses intelligent liquid metal to generate itself around Stark.

Support Powers

  • Superhuman Strength: He is capable of lifting up to 100 tons when wearing his armor and can achieve higher levels of strength when powered by a
    sufficiently more powerful source. 
  • Superhuman Speed: Even when not traveling for extended distances, the armor enables the wearer to move and react at very high speeds. 
  • Flight: The armor can typically reach speeds in excess of Mach 10, in recent comics however Iron Man has been depicted as able to reach orbital escape velocities (5 miles per second) and up to speeds that can outrun black holes. Use of the jet boots provide enough power to lift a load of about 500 tons. 
  • Power Cells: The armor is powered by a
  • Energy Conversion Power Recharge: The armor is also able to absorb and convert nearby or far away energy sources, such as heat, solar, electrical, magnetic, geo-thermal or kinetic energy or energy from the planet itself into electricity, or even drain energy directly into the batteries for recharge. 
    radiation, biological, chemical, corrosive, kinetic, and electrical attacks as well. 
  • Magnetism: The armor can generate magnetic fields to pull or push metal objects at will. 
  • Onboard Computer: The armor has an internal onboard computer operating system that aids Stark in providing strategies, background information on opponents, surroundings, the status of the suit, and prevents a lock on from targeting systems. 
  • Sensor Array: Known sensors include radar/lidar, night vision, and physiological/medical scanners that allow Stark to take and monitor the vitals of other people, including heart and brain scans. These scans also provide Stark with real-time personal physiological data. They are also
    capable of an all-environmental scan for atmospheric content or life forms--including astral energy projections.
  • Override: When required, armor systems including strength amplification, durability amplification, and repulsor intensity can be greatly increased, by bypassing safety circuits and limiters. However, there is a chance that this can result in a complete system failure of the armor. An example of this mode is when Iron Man easily lifted a 16,000 ton Nuclear Reactor, and flew into the sky and threw it into the sea. It seems that he
    utilized this resource on the Hulk once, as the armor ends up completely inert[89]. The range of the Override can be controlled as only reaching his very limit and staying at it for a long time will cause a system failure. This range goes from a safe 800% to 3200%, up to a very dangerous 5000%.

Defensive Powers

  • Crystallized Iron Armor: The armor has evolved from a bulky iron suit to a highly complex matrix of molecularly-aligned fully
    crystallized ultra high carbon iron/steel hybrid alloy enhanced by magnetic fields over layers of other ultra hyper alloys like titanium alloy and or tungsten/vanadium alloys reinforced with carbon nanotubes creating a shell that is pliable, yet capable of amazingly high resilience and protection.

Offensive Powers

  • Repulsor Rays: The armor's primary energy weapon. A particle beam weapon, standard equipment in the palm gauntlets; can repel physical and energy-based attacks, traveling as a single stream or as a wide-field dispersal. It's damage potential is extremely lethal, from being able to go through 2 inches of steel like paper to blasting a hole through a mountain. They can be powered up to make a larger beam or a Full Form repulsor Ray, which does 360 degrees of attacks. The power of the repulsor Beams can range from the basic ones such as the one from the Mark 3, which fires 2 gigawatt beams, to the beams on a much further model of the suit such as the Model 27 which fires beams in the high petawatt region, but those require a little assistance from outside. The latest model of repulsor technology is that of Mark IVa, used for the first time in the Iron Man Armor Model 40, featuring a red color. 
    • Tri-beam: This unique version of the Unibeam runs on direct power from the chestplate, draining it's energy rapidly if not fully charged. It has considerable knockback. 
    • Pentabeam: The Pentabeam has microwave lensing projector that allows for directed beams of ultra-high multi mega-joule electrons, protons, acoustic energy, and neutrons. 
    • Omnibeam: Rather than only firing beam type attacks, the Omnibeam can generate heats at 25232 degrees Fahrenheit, extremely powerful lights causing irreversible blindness in the enemy, and emit ultrasonic attacks capable of stunning even superhumanly durable foes and even causing disintegration. The other way the Omnibeam is fired is by absorbing or draining any energy in Iron Man's vicinity, drawing it into his chest reactor and converting it into
      billions of petawatts and firing it. 
  • Lasers: Standard lasers that can be used as weapons or for welding, including UV laser to penetrate light-permeable shiels.
  • Energy Blade: Based on the same design Tony Stark used to build Captain America's energy shield, this laser sword, emitted from his right arm, could also be flattened into a shield on his hands, or spread over the entire armor to encase the armor in a protective covering. 
  • Smart Missiles: The Smart Missile is one that can target the weak points of a structure, object, or foe to inflict maximum damage with a minimal payload. 
  • Hyper-velocity Impact: The program Hyper-velocity allows Tony to think and move at a much faster time frame than everyone else, allowing for quicker attacks. Also, it could create an electrical bubble if Tony is going fast enough. 
    comes into contact with Vibranium.


  • Super-Genius class Intelligence: Quite apart from the powers granted him by the suit, Tony Stark is far more than a mechanical engineering prodigy who graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with honors at the age of 17[93]. 
  • With an intelligence classed as super-genius[94], he is one of the smartest people on Earth. Furthermore, this extends to his remarkable ingenuity dealing with difficult situations such as difficult foes and
    deathtraps where he is capable of using his available tools, like his suit, in unorthodox and effective ways, as an example: when he built the first Iron Man Armor in captivity[95]. He has also been able to hack even technology from the aliens Kree, a race centuries more advanced than humans.[96] 
  • Tony is known as a "futurist". He has stated that the way his mind works he can intuit the future, even being able to foreshadow that a situation similar to the superhuman Civil War was going to happen, years before it did.[97] 
  • More recently, Stark's intelligence grew to
    super-human levels with more energy being emanated to his brain thanks to the R.T. node in his chest, levels which even left Mr. Fantastic amazed.[98] 
  • Expert Engineer: He is an excellent engineer and mechanic capable of fixing almost, if not all, any machinery. 
  • Expert Tactician: He is a brilliant tactician capable of quickly formulating battle strategies and new plans if the situation changes, like being able to elaborate different complex plans in order to defeat different enemies in difficult situations[99][100], and be victorious. Even going as far as to simultaneously put Reed Richards in check on five different boards playing chess, a game he didn't learn until later in his life, leaving Richards totally astonished.
  • Skilled Combatant: Stark was trained in unarmed combat by Captain America and has become quite physically formidable on his own when the situation demands it. He once managed to defeat five trained Skrull soldiers in single-handed combat[101] and numerous Voldi gladiators[102] 
Strength level
moderate regular exercise. His armor magnifies Stark strength to superhuman levels, enabling him to lift (press) roughly 100 tons. If sufficiently powered by an outside source, the armor can achieve massively higher levels.


  • R.T. node Dependence: The Repulsor Tech node implanted in Stark's chest has the basic machine codes to keep Stark's Extremis-modified body working. So it needs to be in constant connection with him. 
  • Alcoholism: Tony has been battling against his alcoholism due to the high pressures of running his industrial company, maintaining his social profile, and being Iron Man. More recently, he started to drinking again when, because of the Serpent arrival on earth, he believed it was the apocalypse.

Former Weaknesses

    recharge otherwise he would die. Although the shrapnel was later removed eliminating this weakness. 


Tony’s most recent armor is protected by an energy-draining shield which expands from the gauntlets, as well as a personal deflector shield. The armor grants Tony superhuman strength (lifting 100 tons at maximum power). Its Jet boots enable flight at Mach 8; he can also hover utilizing a localized gravity
field. The armor’s internal air supply lasts more than one hour and can be sealed for travel through low oxygen, underwater or outer space environments. The armor also features a chronometer, radar, sonar, a magnometer, an atom-force microscope, photon, heat, motion and other sensor instruments. The armor contains a subspace/satellite radio communications array which receives local radio and video signals; the armor can also jam transmissions. The chest plate features the unibeam, a powerful searchlight that can project beams in virtually every light spectrum (visible, infrared and ultraviolet); it also features a laser beam projector, an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) generator which can shut down electronic devices within a 50-yard radius, a scanning device that travels along energy waves emitted from the unibeam and a holographic generator.


  • Armors: Iron Man wears a sophisticated suit of body armor containing various offensive weaponry. He has a number of suits aside from the current model. Some are mission-specific or prototypes for testing, others are older models kept for nostalgia or for research. He has developed a special briefcase to carry his armor in. A few models are too big for the
    case and require a separate module. As the multi-billionaire head of a global corporation, director of a global law enforcement/espionage agency, and a genius-level inventor, Stark can procure or develop additional technology as needed as possible.
  • Repulsor Tech node: The Repulsor Tech node is a type of fusion power which derivated from the Repulsor Technology of the Iron Man suit created by Tony. It can be used as a source for clean energy as well as a powerful bomb, further modifications made along Rand Industries discarding the second possible application. After being left in a coma in a battle against Norman Osborn, an arc reactor was used to run Stark's body once more by using it to run the basic machine codes to keep Stark's Extremis-modified body working, also providing Stark with an increased intelligence, multitasking abilities and additional powers. 
  • Skrull Anklet: Which allowed him to shut down any psychic abilities. 
  • Space Gem: As a member of the Illuminati, Iron Man possesses one of the Infinity Gems (previously having the Reality Gem) . and Avengers Identicard.


When not traveling in his armor or using a Quinjet as an Avenger, Stark owns a number of vehicles. Some of them have been modified, such as a Ferrari capable of flight.


The Iron Man armor includes Tony’s primary energy weapon, repulsor rays, a powerful particle beam which is standard equipment in the palms of his armor; the repulsor ray can repel physical and energy-based attacks, traveling as either a single stream or as a wide-field dispersal. The armor has also been outfitted with pulse bolts (extremely powerful plasma discharges which grow in strength as they seek their target), sonic generators, explosive shell projectiles, mini-missiles, magnetic field generators and a laser torch built into the finger of Tony’s gauntlet. The armor’s surface can generate an electric charge to dispel attackers.



Babs was one of the many dates Stark had to forget Pepper Potts; she went with Tony to take a look at the completed reconstruction of his factory


Cynthia was one of the many dates Stark had to forget Pepper Potts, even though he mistook her for Sandra[103].
When Tony Stark was captured by the Melter, she and several other of
Stark's dates rushed to the Stark Enterprises Main Plant to check if Tony was still alive


Nan was one of the many dates Stark had to forget Pepper Potts, even though he could only see her once a month